Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford
February 3, 2014
Doolittle will speak about the book during a ‘Ramsay Talks’ event at the Bloor HotDocs Cinema on Monday night.Click here(external - login to view) for more on the ticketed event.Robyn Doolittle on her â€™Crazy Townâ€™ journey covering Rob Ford | CityNews(external - login to view)Ford started using drugs after father died in 2006, new book alleges
February 3, 2014
One of the journalists who claims she’s seen the video of Mayor Rob Ford smoking from a crack pipe is out with a new book, detailing Ford’s rise to power and his family’s history of alleged criminal activity and substance abuse.Ford started using drugs after father died in 2006, new book alleges | CityNews(external - login to view)

spaminator

#2

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 4th, 2014

tay

#3

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 4th, 2014

All of the 'high profile' dissers of her and the Star did the backflip once her 'allegations' were confirmed.....

Walter

#4

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 4th, 2014

Old news. Nothing to see here. Obviously her campaign, sponsored by The Star, has failed to get rid of the mayor. He is more popular than ever.

petros

+1

#5 Top Rated Post

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 4th, 2014

Quote: Originally Posted by Walter

He is more popular than ever.

Same goes for heroin.

Walter

#6

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 4th, 2014

Quote: Originally Posted by petros

Same goes for heroin.

True dat.

spaminator

#7

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 5th, 2014

Reporter’s book ‘pulls back the curtain’ on Toronto Star newsroom

February 4, 2014
Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle said her new book, ‘Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,’ reveals the inner workings of the newsroom, and how reporters investigated the Ford family.Reporter’s book ‘pulls back the curtain’ on Toronto Star newsroom | CityNews(external - login to view)

Walter

#8

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 5th, 2014

Quote: Originally Posted by spaminator

Reporter’s book ‘pulls back the curtain’ on Toronto Star newsroom

February 4, 2014
Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle said her new book, ‘Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,’ reveals the inner workings of the newsroom, and how reporters investigated the Ford family.Reporter’s book ‘pulls back the curtain’ on Toronto Star newsroom | CityNews(external - login to view)

And because she works for The Star we know it's all true.

mentalfloss

#9

Rob Ford book reveals inconvenient truths

Feb 7th, 2014

Author describes jaw dropping moment writing Rob Ford book

As her new book "Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story" hits store shelves, reporter Robyn Doolittle shares the "jaw-dropping" moment she experienced researching her examination of Toronto's infamous mayor.

Doolittle told CTV's Canada AM Monday that she was astonished to learn of an episode from the family's history in which money that the Ford family patriarch Doug Sr. had hidden in the basement went missing during a renovation.

A retired police officer was hired, she explained, to administer lie detector tests to the Ford kids.

"That was the moment when my jaw hit the floor," she said. "That is the most telling detail to me. It really shows this long history of mistrust, problems with the truth, the tension between the various Fords."

The book is not an expose of the Ford family, however, as they are not all elected officials open to public scrutiny.
"So I tried to only include details that painted a broader picture of who he was," she said.

The Ford family patriarch's death in 2006 is another of the personal moments Doolittle believes shaped Rob Ford’s public persona.

"(Doug Sr.) was the driving force in that family," she said. "For Rob and the other siblings as well, when he died, it was this overwhelming amount of grief. And then, also, this idea that this authority figure, almost their conscience, was no longer there."

The Toronto Star reporter's book focuses on Rob Ford's ascent from the fringes of city council to his election as mayor, and the allegations of substance abuse that have come to overshadow his political accomplishments.

As one of just three journalists who have seen a video of Rob Ford smoking what appears to be a crack pipe, she's uniquely qualified to write the story.

Doolittle began her career at the Star as an intern, before being hired to cover the police beat. But her heart sank when her editor said she'd be switching to city hall.

She recalled thinking, "This is going to be the most boring couple years of my life, getting to cover standing committees and tree by-laws. It turned out my police contacts came in pretty handy."

From her perspective, Doolittle says she wouldn't be surprised if Ford scores some future success at the ballot box.

But even if he isn't re-elected mayor, "His politics are going to hang around for a while," Doolittle said, explaining that Ford's "out-working-for-the-little-guy" brand goes a long way with voters.

So long as he sticks with his vow not to raise taxes, she said, "People are willing to overlook all of these transgressions because they feel like they have an ally at city hall."
Rob Ford did not return requests for comment.

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 7th, 2014

Quote: Originally Posted by Walter

Old news. Nothing to see here. Obviously her campaign, sponsored by The Star, has failed to get rid of the mayor. He is more popular than ever.

I heard her interviewed on BT. She was astounded that Ford would be elected in Toronto: a hippy leftwing hipster type of city (her words paraphrased from my memory). She honestly believes that. She obviously does not spend any time outside of Queen Street West. Speaking of elites ....

Quote: Originally Posted by mentalfloss

The book is not an expose of the Ford family, however, as they are not all elected officials open to public scrutiny.
"So I tried to only include details that painted a broader picture of who he was," she said.

LOL Words also said by many a National Enquiror reporter (a magazine with slightly more jounalistic integraty than the Toronto Star).

BornRuff

#12

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 7th, 2014

Quote: Originally Posted by Walter

Old news. Nothing to see here. Obviously her campaign, sponsored by The Star, has failed to get rid of the mayor. He is more popular than ever.

Well, no, his approval ratings right now are well below what they were at his peak. But they certainly are way higher than you would expect based on what has gone down.

The Fords — according to Doolittle — live in a world of thugs and drugs. From high school on, the four Ford siblings — Kathy, Randy, Doug and Rob — were enmeshed in the drug culture in various ways, as users and (allegedly) in the case of Doug, as a seller. Kathy’s journey led her to being shot in the face, Randy’s to involvement in a kidnapping. Rob enjoyed his weed as a teenager, prescription pills as an adult, and crack cocaine after the death of his father.

But the association with criminals should not. The drug-addled friendships nurtured in the plaza at the end of the Fords’ leafy childhood street haunt the family to this day. And they cannot be excused because of the Fords’ good works over the years. No matter how much football you coach, if you’re doing crack, you are contributing to the same criminal behaviour you claim to want to eradicate.

Ford argues that this is all part of his private life and should be out of bounds in any public discussion. But now he is being sued by his former brother-in-law for allegedly arranging a jailhouse beating. And his legal problems keep coming.

Ripping the lid off the Ford Dynasty | iPolitics(external - login to view)

spaminator

#15

Re: Robyn Doolittle on her ’Crazy Town’ journey covering Rob Ford

Feb 11th, 2014

Rob Ford the movie? Film rights acquired for book about embattled Toronto mayor
02/10/2014 09:51 AM The Canadian Press
The antics of embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford could soon be coming to a TV or movie screen.
Blue Ice Pictures has acquired the film and television rights to the new book Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story.
Published by Penguin Canada, it’s written by Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle, one of three journalists who viewed a video that appeared to show Ford smoking crack cocaine.
The video was one in a string of scandals involving the mayor.
The screen version of Doolittle’s book will be produced by Daniel Iron and Lance Samuels.
Iron’s previous credits include The Bang Bang Club, Away from Her and Cairo Time. Samuels also worked on The Bang Bang Club, as well as The Book of Negroes and Inescapable.
“This is a story about the city in which I have lived my entire life and has great political, cultural and civic meaning to me,” Iron said in a statement. “Robyn Doolittle’s book is a testament to dogged, fearless and exemplary journalism. We are excited to be working with Ms. Doolittle to bring this story to the screen.”
Said Doolittle: “If you tried to make this story up, people would think it was over the top. The Rob Ford investigation is something I’ve been working on for more than two years. It’s something I’m obviously very invested in. It’s so much more than just a crack video and YouTube clips. I am excited that Danny and Lance share that sense of it, and am really looking forward to working with them.”
Blue Ice Pictures is a Toronto-based indie film and TV production company which also has offices in Los Angeles, London, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.Rob Ford the movie? Film rights acquired for book about embattled Toronto mayor | CityNews(external - login to view)Film rights acquired for book about Rob Ford
February 10, 2014
Blue Ice Pictures has acquired the film and television rights to the new book Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story.Film rights acquired for book about Rob Ford | CityNews(external - login to view)